Competition with clowns, maybe

Editorially verified for the Apr 5, 2026

53 Across

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NYT Crossword

This clue's Sunday, April 05, 2026 appearance

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Across

  1. 1They need fans to stay cool
  2. 6Philippine marinades
  3. 12Second first lady, after Martha
  4. 19Cheap cigar
  5. 20Philippine capital
  6. 21Contrition
  7. 22Prime-time time
  8. 23We're literally giving away our rental cars!
  9. 25Resembling bone
  10. 27Overnight option
  11. 28Pull some strings?
  12. 29Phony social media follower
  13. 30It hurts how much we're overcharging for this detergent!
  14. 34___ Constitution
  15. 37Winter measure
  16. 40"Nostalgia is a seductive ___": George W. Ball
  17. 41Spider's pouch
  18. 43Inappropriately appropriated
  19. 45Crush a test
  20. 48Muse depicted with a lyre
  21. 49Like raw footage
  22. 51Alexander ___, 1980s secretary of state
  23. 53Competition with clowns, maybe
  24. 55Showbiz "grand slam," familiarly
  25. 56Scrooge's shout
  26. 57Our planes don't have seats!
  27. 61Social worker?
  28. 62Undertake, as a journey
  29. 64College admissions fig.
  30. 65Whence St. Francis
  31. 67Quite spirited
  32. 68Bulletin board addition
  33. 71A chair might cover one
  34. 74Place to store magazines
  35. 76Broody genre
  36. 77First college in the modern era to boast a 15-0 football team
  37. 78Bump on the head, say?
  38. 80Our tech products fall apart easily!
  39. 84However, in texts
  40. 85Sportsbook figures
  41. 87Grinning Face With Sweat, for one
  42. 88Winnow
  43. 89Some exits in Exeter
  44. 91Japanese healing discipline
  45. 93Hägar the Horrible's dog
  46. 95Like a wrung-out mop
  47. 97Some commotion in a sheepfold
  48. 99Rep
  49. 101Most ridiculous
  50. 104Monopolist's portion
  51. 105Our cable channel is devoted to censorship!
  52. 109Dripping, say
  53. 110White's longtime co-host
  54. 111Many a book fair sponsor, for short
  55. 112[Look below for more info]
  56. 115Go ahead and shoplift one pair of our jeans!
  57. 121Bolts (down)
  58. 122Home country of the Center for Civil Liberties, jointly awarded the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize
  59. 123Monkey's place, maybe
  60. 124Article of jewelry worn around the biceps
  61. 125Erudite
  62. 126Stylishly elegant
  63. 127Shoe leather for Elvis

Down

  1. 1"This. Means. War!"
  2. 2Our soap is deadly!
  3. 3Serpentine shape in architecture
  4. 4Certain cosmetic surgery, familiarly
  5. 5High class?
  6. 6Big letters in bowling
  7. 7"Beavis and Butt-Head" spinoff
  8. 8Common soccer score
  9. 9Two-year periods
  10. 10Common soccer cheer
  11. 11With 44-Down, home of the U.S.'s most-visited municipal zoo
  12. 12___ rock (music genre)
  13. 13Nickname for Britain's King Edward VII
  14. 14Encroach (on)
  15. 15Horror movie staple
  16. 16Grande's perfume line
  17. 17Major research lab for astronauts, for short
  18. 18Actress Jamie ___ Curtis
  19. 19Highfalutin sorts
  20. 24Yank
  21. 26Creature with a signature whistle it can use to identify itself
  22. 31Accordion fold
  23. 32Iridescent shell material
  24. 33Dirt pie ingredients
  25. 34Our magazine hates everything and everyone!
  26. 35Squelched
  27. 36Michael ___, Steve Carell's role on "The Office"
  28. 38Sch. endearingly called "Wazzu"
  29. 39Animated TV series set in the 31st century
  30. 42LSAT alternative, for some law schools
  31. 44See 11-Down
  32. 46Lab label
  33. 47Afternoon socials
  34. 49It'll take you for a ride
  35. 50Mama's mama
  36. 52Natl. economic yardsticks
  37. 54Discounted
  38. 58Zero chance
  39. 59Something well-taken?
  40. 60Chartreuse or brandy, e.g.
  41. 63Mess up
  42. 66Part of a sch. year
  43. 68Orange cone, say
  44. 69"No cause for alarm!"?
  45. 70Land rover
  46. 72Home of Qatar Airways
  47. 73A long time, in Spain
  48. 75Tach stats
  49. 77Sax player Clarence
  50. 78"The Greek" in a 1964 film
  51. 79Optimal
  52. 81Emergency option for a fighter pilot
  53. 82High, wispy clouds
  54. 83Alice of TV's "Queen of the South"
  55. 86Manage moguls, say
  56. 90"___ expected"
  57. 92Like many legal phrases
  58. 94Fried Japanese fare
  59. 96Impersonates
  60. 981997 Demi Moore military drama
  61. 100Hampers
  62. 102Fixed rate
  63. 103Statistics tool used to find significant differences
  64. 106Not real
  65. 107___ out an existence
  66. 108They might be loaded or stolen
  67. 110Headliner
  68. 113Neutral tone
  69. 114April or May, e.g.
  70. 115Q3 starter: Abbr.
  71. 116Luau instrument, in brief
  72. 117Mme., across the Pyrenees
  73. 118"The Bachelor" network
  74. 119Actress Gadot
  75. 120Foxy

The answer to “Competition with clowns, maybe” in the New York Times crossword is RODEO — a 5-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on April 5, 2026, a Sunday puzzle, at 53-Across. Below you'll find why that fill fits, every other answer we've recorded for this clue, and links into the puzzle it came from.

“Competition with clowns, maybe” answer

RODEO (5 letters)

Reveal the solution one letter at a time with the tiles above if you'd rather nudge yourself toward it than see the whole word at once. Just want it outright? The answer is RODEO.

Why the answer is RODEO

RODEO is the 5-letter solution that fits "Competition with clowns, maybe" in the NYT Crossword crossword on April 5, 2026 (53-Across). Use the letter tiles above if you'd rather reveal it one letter at a time.

What does RODEO mean?

Reading the plain dictionary sense of RODEO is often the fastest way to see why it answers this clue.

(noun)

  • an exhibition or contest in which cowboys show their skill at riding broncos, roping calves, wrestling steers, etc.
  • a round-up of cattle on a ranch for branding, counting, etc.
  • (in snowboarding and surfing) an aerial manoeuvre combining a forward or backward flip with a rotation

When else has “Competition with clowns, maybe” appeared?

New York Times reuses clues across dates, sometimes with a different answer depending on the grid. Here's where this exact clue has shown up, and what the answer was each time — handy when you're checking whether today's fill is the only one.

April 5, 2026 (most recent) → RODEO. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Competition with clowns, maybe”?

The answer is RODEO, a 5-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on April 5, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “Competition with clowns, maybe”?

5 letters: RODEO.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the New York Times crossword on April 5, 2026 (a Sunday puzzle), at 53-Across.

Can “Competition with clowns, maybe” have a different answer?

Yes — New York Times sometimes reuses a clue with a different solution to fit the grid. The answers we've recorded for each date it appeared are listed above when available.

Where can I find the rest of this day's NYT Crossword answers?

The full grid for April 5, 2026 is on the NYT Crossword answers page, with every clue and answer from that puzzle.

New York Times Crossword is published by The New York Times; WordHint is an independent site and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the publisher.

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